Philip Mwangi and Christine Nyambura: Driven to love

HOW THEY MET

Philip: ?I met Christine while chauffeuring at her friend’s wedding.

THE PROPOSAL

Christine: He colluded with my friends and planned a surprise at a local restaurant. The DJ played a love song and the next thing I heard is Philip on the mic. He came up to me and got on one knee and proposed.

What struck you about her to the point of proposing?

Philip: I loved Christine and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

How did she react?

Philip: She was almost in tears, but she said yes and I was the happiest man on earth.

How did you finance the wedding?

Through savings and support from family and friends.

Did you seek the services of a wedding planner?

No.

Why did you choose black and yellow colours for your wedding?

We chose yellow because it’s a bright fun colour and black to compliment it.

Why the varied styles of the bridesmaids dresses?

We allowed the maids to select their own individual styles with some common features like the length and shiny detail.

Yours was a unique set-up, what led to it?

We chose theatre seating to maximize on the seating area and minimize on the number of tents needed. It also allowed our family and friends to interact.

CHALLENGES

What challenges did you face during the planning?

Philip sometimes worked beyond regular hours while I was working full-time and attending evening classes at a local university.

What were the highlights of the day?

Philip: Watching Christine walk down the aisle

Christine: Those final moments at home with my mum before I was led by Philips mother into the car that took me to church.

What was the most memorable part of the ceremony?

Incidentally for both of us, it was saying our vows.

Honeymoon?

We chose a place away from the hustle of the city where we could take time to rest and spend time alone.

Advice to couples planning to wed?

Decide on what you want for your wedding, start planning early, save and source for service providers early.

Where was your honeymoon?

South Coast

How was the marital counselling?

We attended classes at our church, The Purpose Centre, along Mombasa Road under the leadership of Elder Don and Nancy Gichane. It was fun and an eye-opener. We received a lot of advice from the Gichanes as they shared their life experiences with us.

How was the visit to her parents?

Philip: I was well received by Christine’s family and welcomed as a son.

Was there any traditional ceremonies how was it?

Philip: Yes, we followed the Kikuyu customary wedding rites.

If you were to do this again what would you do differently?

Save a lot more and start planning early.

[PHOTOS AND INTERVIEW BY: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD]